New United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made public his assets, valued between US$1.2 million and $2.5 million, the first disclosure of private assets by a U.N. chief, his office said.
Ban and his wife Yoo Sun-taek voluntarily put a financial asset statement on his Web site after an external audit on asset statements of U.N. staff was completed, it said.
His statement for 2006 showed that he and his wife own an apartment in Seoul, South Korea, valued between US$500,000 and $1 million, and two lots of land worth less than $250,000. Their other assets are in bank accounts.
Ban also revealed that his salary last year when he was South Korea's foreign minister was less than $100,000. He stepped down in November to take over the U.N. post, which began on Jan. 1.
The financial statement was prepared by New York-based PricewaterhouseCoopers, which studied the asset statements by U.N. staff.
In April last year, the U.N. ordered its senior officials to report their assets in its U.N. Financial Disclosure Program after investigations found evidence of corruption in the U.N.'s oil-for-food program.
The obligation, however, did not apply to the U.N. secretary general.
When he assumed the top post, Ban said that he wanted to set an example at the world body with "the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior."
Former Secretary General Kofi Annan submitted a disclosure statement but did not make it public.
United Nations, Jan. 26 (Yonhap News)
Ban Ki-moon becomes first U.N. chief to disclose private assets |
